


Matthew 19:14

by WhyWhyNot



Series: Three Wise Monkeys [55]
Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Blanket Permission, Canonical Character Death, Feels, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2020-06-30 01:19:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19842553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhyWhyNot/pseuds/WhyWhyNot
Summary: Someone left a tsum tsum of the Punisher on the Castle grave.





	1. Chapter 1

When Claire hears about a Punisher tsum tsum being left at the Castle’s grave, she puts down her broom and starts a Google search.

She was right. She recognizes, if not the plushy itself, the way it was made.

\---

She corners Santino when he comes back from school, with a printed picture of the toy.

“Explain.”

Santino freezes.

“What the fuck where you _thinking_ , Santino? That it was cute? That it was _funny_?”

Santino burst into tears.

\---

Santino takes a while to calm down.

“I’m s-so s-sorry C-Claire, I d-don’t think it’s f-funny, I d-don’t, I just wanted t-to…  
\- Hey, hey, Santino, calm down, okay? Blow your nose, and tell me why you did it.”

\---

Does she remember what happened about a month ago? When Castle came to fix her stove, and ended up crying in her kitchen because it was Frank Junior’s birthday, and he should have been eight but he _wasn’t_ because he’s _dead_ , and then Castle told her how he always wanted spaghettis and a chocolate cake on his birthday, how it was the only time his wife let Castle cook dinner, how he always used his mother’s recipe.

Yes. She… She remembers. The Punisher breaking down in her kitchen is pretty hard to forget.

Well, Santino remembers, too, because this night, he had tried a new pie recipe, and decided to bring it to her, and he was in her living room when it happened. He… He heard, and he couldn’t get it out of his head.

Because the thing, the thing is, he _knew_ Castle’s family was dead. Everyone knows that, everyone saw it on the knew, thought “what a tragedy” and went on with their life and he _knew_ that, he did, but they weren’t really _real_ to him, and now all he can think of is they were _children_ , they were younger than he is, they were just kids with her mom who just got their dad back, and they were celebrating being all _safe_ together and they _died_ and it’s not _fair_ , and he just wanted to do something for them.

So he decided to make a _tsum tsum_ of the _Punisher_?

It’s just… He’s _glad_ Castle survived, he really is, he’s glad he’s there to be Matt’s friend and fix things in her apartment and being weirdly overprotective of him in the background, and they probably are, too, but they were just _kids_ , wherever they are now, they… They probably miss their dad.

\---

There’s nothing Claire can do but hold him tight


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frank overhears.

Frank makes, in his honest opinion, mean cookies.

(Maria’s were better. She was the one who cooked everything, and she was amazing at it.)

(Cooking makes Frank feel closer to her, in a way that hurts less and less.)

Anyway, Frank thinks his cookies are rather good. He’s going to bring them to Raphael.

(He’s acutely aware of his breakdown last time, and is firmly set on ignoring it altogether.)

(It… Sounds like something Red would do, which is _probably_ unhealthy, but he’s still alive, so his methods can’t be _that_ bad.)

He will talk to Curtis about it.

“What the fuck where you thinking, Santino? That it was cute? That it was funny?”

Frank stops. Raphael sounds absolutely _furious_ , almost as much as when they killed Wilde.

And then, Santino breaks down, starts talking, and Frank…

There’s something in Frank’s chest and he can’t say if it’s a void or an explosion, if he’s choking on tears or thin air, if he’s drowning or burning alive.

Frank doesn’t remember going back to his apartment.

Frank doesn’t remember going back to his apartment but he did, he must have, because he’s sitting on his bed, and he doesn’t remember calling the Lieberman but he did, he must have, because David’s voice is coming out of the phone, and he doesn’t remember asking for the kids but he did, he must have, because Leo is telling him about a book she read, and things are not okay, _Frank_ is _not okay_ , but…

The Liebermans are all right. The Liebermans are alive, and fine, and happy, they made it out of the cluster fuck, and maybe, just maybe, some things are a little bit okay.


	3. Chapter 3

I couldn't find a tsum tsum plushy of the Punisher (which is a travesty), so I had to draw one myself.

**Author's Note:**

> (I have not decided yet, but it is entirely possible that Frank overheard everything. What do you think?) 
> 
> Leave a comment?


End file.
